All The Time In This World
by Rubbertoebehe
Summary: A cute fic of how Dean and Castiel spend Valentine's day.  No spoilers, just cuteness.


"I don't know what you want me to do here, Dean," Sam says, sounding awkward and feeling more so on the inside.

"I just need to figure out how to make a special night or something like that. I don't know, I've never done this sort of thing before," Dean says, pacing the small, hunting lodge-themed motel room in long strides, thinking frantically.

"For a man, you mean?" Sam says with an inkling curiosity that is usual of Sam's damn sensitive side.

"For anyone! This is practically my first serious Valentines day," Dean says quickly, regretting the attest as soon as he makes it.

"Dean Winchester, no—"

"Shut up, Sammy, I don't need your shit, okay, and I don't see you making plans with anyone."

"I don't see you making plans either, just burning a trench in the rug—hey calm down okay." Sam put out his hand to Dean's chest to keep him from pacing through the foundation. He then places his hands on Dean's shoulders and faces him dead on. "You know he isn't hard to please. You know him well, what would he appreciate?"

"He appreciates nothing…and everything," Dean says with a far away voice. "No gift—no _thing_—has much significance to him, none that I know of anyways."

"I can think of one thing he appreciates more than anything in this world."

"What?" Dean says, hope and determination filling his eyes.

After waiting several seconds, Sam's attempt to reveal the elephant in the room, he speaks.

"You, Dean. Time with _you_."

Dean gazes to the side with slight embarrassment and silence quickly begins to occupy the room. Sam then turns from Dean and walks towards the small wooden table flanking the door. He grabs the keys to the Impala and hesitates for a moment, Dean still looking away, lost in thought. Sam's voice is what reels Dean back from his erratic, anxious thoughts.

"Take a drive with him. Aspen isn't but half an hour's drive. That alone'll probably be worth it. Just be with him, Dean. Take him someplace, you know, special."

After looking at Sam for a bit, keeping the same distant stare he had before, he refocuses. "Can I have the keys to my car then, bitch?" Sam doesn't miss a beat and smirks.

"Bite me, jerk," he says, tossing the keys to Dean.

"Someone needs to, Sammy," Dean shoots back, returning a grin as he passes by Sam. The two share a weird bond, but never does it feel wrong or dysfunctional. Dean and Sam have never had what other people would consider normal, but neither Dean nor Sam has ever been normal, even when they tried.

Before closing the door Dean looks back at Sam. Noticing Dean's delay Sam turns to meet his gaze. What is passed between their eyes is Dean expressing his gratitude for having the support of his little brother, and Sam of course down playing it with a small grin. What is spoken however: "see ya when I see ya, Sammy."

And with that Dean closes the door and gives an anxious sigh. The first thing Dean notices is the sting of cold air whipping his neck; Dean shivers as he turns around. Of all the people in the world to suddenly appear it had to be the one person that could manage it without alerting Dean, and the one person he wanted to see more than anyone.

"Oh Dammit, Cas!" Dean exclaims, giving his heart an exceptionally powerful jolt of excitement and plain shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" Castiel asks in an earnest tone, sadness slowly showing on his expression. "I know you wanted to see me about this time.

"No, not at all," Dean says, trying to remedy Castiel's crestfallen face quickly, "I'm actually really glad to see you, man."

To Dean's fleeting internal joy he sees Castiel smile. He can't imagine what he wouldn't do to see that smile.

"It's Valentines Day, you know, and I sort of wanted to take you somewhere." Castiel tilts his head to the side in confusion and Dean feels smitten warmth flood his cheeks.  
>"Where to, Dean?" Castiel says flatly. "I'm not exactly sure what humans do on this holiday, but I'll follow you wherever you want me to go." Castiel gives him a sheepish smile and Dean closes the distance between them with a tender hug. Castiel is at first caught off guard with his arms down, but returns the embrace soon enough.<p>

"Thank you," Dean says, releasing his grip moments later.

Only when Dean looks at his baby dusted in powdered frost does he realize it's been snowing. "I don't know really where we're headed, but I have a direction in mind," he says as he looks at Castiel over the car, about to get in.

"What do people do on Valentines Day?" Castiel asks again, staring at Dean.

"I'll show you." Dean smiles, not looking at Castiel but down, plotting something really good at that very moment.

"You must be plotting something really good," Castiel says, not skipping a beat. Dean only blushes and Castiel takes this as response enough. "We'll see how this one turns out."

After 25 minutes of driving along a deserted road flanked by forest on each side, the moon full and bright overhead, Dean checks the time. It's only ten past nine and all is still young. Dean sneakily tries to find the most fitting, romantic cassette he could and settles for Journey. Speaking had been at a bare minimum, which Dean painfully noticed. He worried Castiel was bored. "Oh the ride'll probably be worth it," Dean repeats in his head, mocking Sam. Well Sam doesn't need to impress a freaking angel does he? As "Faithfully" began to play Dean notices a glimmer through the trees of the forest to his right and an impulse speedily rises in his brain. With no warning Dean makes a sharp right onto a dirt path branching from the road. At Dean's drastic change of course Castiel was shaken from the soft, peaceful mood he felt in the car.

"I suppose you know where you're going _now_," Castiel says with sass in his voice. "So can you clue me in now?"

"What makes you think it'll be that easy?" Dean snickers, feeling pretty giddy with the new plan forming in his mind.

Castiel makes a sigh that would usually cause Dean distress, but this time Dean keeps himself from reacting. "It's all a trap, don't give in," Dean thinks to himself, "keep the poker face."

Driving through the forest the light of the moon constantly flickers through the trees, stirring a new feeling in the car. Castiel soon leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. Dean feels the shift in mood too and stares at Castiel in his state. Eventually after a minute Dean reaches what he expected to find: a lake. He begins to slow down and parks about a stone's toss away from the beach front of the quiet, lapping water.

The lake is surrounded by forest on all sides and beyond this sight is only the sky, the moon surrounded by scattered clouds. The moon creates a reflection of light on the rippling lake, the trail stopping at the shore front.

When Dean stops and turns off the engine Castiel doesn't "wake up," but stays still. All Dean does in response to finding his angel in this manner, appearing human, is leaning in slowly, kissing his forehead. Castiel opens his eyes slowly in suppressed shock and looks up at Dean.

"Oh, we're here," Castiel says, feeling embarrassed, "I'll be honest, I was a bit moved by the music. Where are we?" Castiel begins to look up and around at the forest enclosure.

"I've found us our own little lake-side view," Dean says, reaching behind his seat, pulling out a flannel blanket he always keeps there. "Follow me."

Dean doesn't walk but five steps from the Impala towards the sand that is safe from the soft tide of the lake. He whips the blanket out, unfurling it and laying it on the ground. "I wanted to give you this." Dean rests the blanket on the ground and sits down, patting the space next to him for Castiel.

"I don't quiet understand," Castiel says as he walks toward the blanket.

"Sit with me and I'll explain." Castiel sits down and continues to stare at Dean. Dean however begins to stare out over the lake to the other end and beyond. "I have been beating myself over the head with a rock for a while, trying to figure out what to do for tonight—"

"Dean, that's awfully dangerous."

"What? No, it's an expression, Cas," Dean says, chuckling. He then holds Castiel's hand and looks into his glowing, intense blue eyes. Castiel glances down at the twining fingers and then returns his gaze.

"To this day I still wake up thankful for what you've given me. Before you came into my life and saved me I was just wandering, hunting this demon and that spirit, not having much to live for. You saved me, in more ways than one; you gave me my life back, Cas! I want to give you something so big and special that can show you how much that _still_ means to me. And no _thing_ can express how I feel. I want to give you something that tells you that saving me—choosing me—was hopefully worth it for you. I love you, and I will never stop. I want to give you myself and all the time in this world that I have, all the effort I can pump out, till the day I die."

Dean squeezes his partner's hand and leans in slowly for a small kiss on Castiel's cheek. Dean pulls back from the kiss to see Castiel's eyes are closed. After a few seconds Castiel opens his eyes, meets Dean's gaze and looks over the radiant ripples of the ocean they have before them.

Finally Castiel breaks, "I suppose beating one's self with rocks can't be all that bad." Dean makes a big laugh and a snort at Castiel's reply. Castiel turns then to see his hunter. Castiel leans in to kiss Dean, taking his free hand and cupping it around the side of Dean's face. He then takes his other hand and holds Dean's face entirely in a kiss, lowing Dean's body down onto the blanket.


End file.
